CRAC Heat Exchanger Response to Step Change in Chilled Water Flowrate

Author(s):  
Shawn P. Shields ◽  
Yogendra K. Joshi ◽  
Michael Patterson ◽  
Michael Meakins

This paper presents experimental data showing the response of a computer room air conditioning unit (CRAC) to chilled water (CHW) pump restart. The data are offered to improve and develop modeling of cooling equipment restart events following data center power failure. There are estimates that power failures will increase and limits on availability will affect data center operations at more than 90 percent of all companies over the next five years. Because providing backup power to cooling equipment increases data center first cost, it is important to have accurate models for cooling events and processes following power failure that help predict server inlet temperatures during the transient phase caused by a power failure. Since power density of computing equipment continues to rise, the temperature rise of air within the data center has been predicted to rise more quickly to an unacceptable level, increasing concern. Accurate models of CRAC response to pump restart can aid in data center cooling design, backup power infrastructure provisioning, and even compute equipment selection by predicting the air supply temperature after the generator provides power to the chilled water pump. Previous transient models include zonal models with large time scales and CFD/HT models with boundary conditions developed for steady state. These models can be improved by comparison with experimental data. The experiment consists of measuring the response of the CRAC heat exchanger to the step change in CHW flow rate upon pump restart. Inlet and outlet temperatures of both CHW and air were measured, as well CHW flow rate. A point measurement of air at the CRAC fan outlet was also taken to verify that airflow remained relatively constant. Outlet temperatures from the CRAC follow a first order response curve; it is found that the CRAC under consideration has fan outlet temperature time constant of 10 seconds. A delay of 20 seconds is observed between the fan outlet temperature response and the CHW return temperature response.

Author(s):  
Christopher C. M. Chu ◽  
Md. Mizanur Rahman ◽  
Sivakumar Kumaresan

CFD simulation was carried out to corroborate experimental data at fixed heat load of nominally 2.3kW from a natural draft heat exchanger of face dimensions of 0.75m × 0.75m, with or without mitigation of the cold inflow at the chimney exit, where mitigation by installing wire mesh on top of the chimney has been shown by the experiments to enhance air flow rate. A chimney model was simulated at fixed heat loads in a still surrounding at ambient temperature of 30 degree Celsius and atmospheric pressure for two modes: Mode 1 and Mode 0 for with and without a flow resistor (wire mesh) respectively at the top exit. It was found that the simulation could reproduce most of the trends of the experimental data, but had a tendency to magnify the detrimental effects of cold inflow and exaggerate the remedial action of wire mesh in preventing cold inflow, as reflected by the ratio of Mode 1 to Mode 0 air mass flowrate by a factor of up to 2.36, compared to 1.50 in the experimental data. In both simulation and experiment, the average air flow rates obtained at chimney heights of 0.35m, 0.65m, 0.95m and 1.25m, showed progressive increase of air mass flow rate for all cases. Both experimental and simulated heat gain in Mode 0 were more or less constant until the highest chimney height where they showed apparent breakout upwards, whereas in Mode 1 the experimental heat gains gently reduced to a plateau while the simulated heat gains hovered at around 2.3kW. The back calculated values of Mode 0 experimental outlet temperature at between 140 to 240°C raises concern of hotspot in some electronic components by the ineffectiveness of chimney systems without cold inflow mitigation. Further experiments of similar scale with steadier control of heat flux and heating temperature, and simulating with other turbulence models in transient mode will improve understanding in both Mode 0 and Mode 1 of operation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 1650002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Diani ◽  
Luisa Rossetto ◽  
Roberto Dall’Olio ◽  
Daniele De Zen ◽  
Filippo Masetto

Cross flow heat exchangers, when applied to cool data center rooms, use external air (process air) to cool the air stream coming from the data center room (primary air). However, an air–air heat exchanger is not enough to cope with extreme high heat loads in critical conditions (high external temperature). Therefore, water can be sprayed in the process air to increase the heat dissipation capability (wet mode). Water evaporates, and the heat flow rate is transferred to the process air as sensible and latent heat. This paper proposes an analytical approach to predict the behavior of a cross flow heat exchanger in wet mode. The theoretical results are then compared to experimental tests carried out on a real machine in wet mode conditions. Comparisons are given in terms of calculated versus experimental heat flow rate and evaporated water mass flow rate, showing a good match between theoretical and experimental values.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 2996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinkyun Cho ◽  
Beungyong Park ◽  
Yongdae Jeong

If a data center experiences a system outage or fault conditions, it becomes difficult to provide a stable and continuous information technology (IT) service. Therefore, it is critical to design and implement a backup system so that stability can be maintained even in emergency (unforeseen) situations. In this study, an actual 20 MW data center project was analyzed to evaluate the thermal performance of an IT server room during a cooling system outage under six fault conditions. In addition, a method of organizing and systematically managing operational stability and energy efficiency verification was identified for data center construction in accordance with the commissioning process. Up to a chilled water supply temperature of 17 °C and a computer room air handling unit air supply temperature of 24 °C, the temperature of the air flowing into the IT server room fell into the allowable range specified by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers standard (18–27 °C). It was possible to perform allowable operations for approximately 320 s after cooling system outage. Starting at a chilled water supply temperature of 18 °C and an air supply temperature of 25 °C, a rapid temperature increase occurred, which is a serious cause of IT equipment failure. Due to the use of cold aisle containment and designs with relatively high chilled water and air supply temperatures, there is a high possibility that a rapid temperature increase inside an IT server room will occur during a cooling system outage. Thus, the backup system must be activated within 300 s. It is essential to understand the operational characteristics of data centers and design optimal cooling systems to ensure the reliability of high-density data centers. In particular, it is necessary to consider these physical results and to perform an integrated review of the time required for emergency cooling equipment to operate as well as the backup system availability time.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8280
Author(s):  
Jeonggyun Ham ◽  
Gonghee Lee ◽  
Dong-wook Oh ◽  
Honghyun Cho

In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed to investigate the cause of the thermal stratification in the channel and the temperature non-uniformity of the plate heat exchanger. The flow velocity maldistribution of the channel and the merging parts caused temperature non-uniformity in the channel width direction. The non-uniformity of flow velocity and temperature in the channel is shown in Section 1 > Section 3 > Section 2 from the heat exchanger. The non-uniform temperature distribution in the channel caused channel stratification and non-uniform outlet temperature. Stratification occurred at the channel near the merging due to the flow rate non-uniformity in the channel. In particular, as the mass flow rate increased from 0.03 to 0.12 kg/s and the effectiveness increased from 0.436 to 0.615, the cold-side stratified volume decreased from 4.06 to 3.7 cm3, and the temperature difference between the stratified area and the outlet decreased from 1.21 K to 0.61 K. The increase in mass flow and the decrease in temperature difference between the cold and hot sides alleviated the non-uniformity of the outlet temperature due to the increase in effectiveness. Besides, as the inlet temperature difference between the cold and the hot side increases, the temperature non-uniformity at the outlet port is poor due to the increase in the stratified region at the channel, and the distance to obtain a uniform temperature in the outlet pipe increases as the temperature at the hot side increases.


Author(s):  
Marek Dzida ◽  
Zygfryd Domachowski

A gas turbine ship propulsion control system transients have been investigated. On the basis of a mathematical model composed of blocks modelling a two-shaft gas turbine, a gear (mechanical or electric), and a coupling shaft, some preliminary simulations have been carried out. Ship propeller shaft angular velocity, fuel flow rate, and gas turbine combustion chamber outlet temperature response to the ship propeller shaft angular velocity set point, and fuel flow rate, changes have been analyzed. Influences of limiters in the controller action on analyzed transients have been compared.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heran Jing ◽  
Zhenhua Quan ◽  
Yaohua Zhao ◽  
Lincheng Wang ◽  
Ruyang Ren ◽  
...  

According to the temperature regulations and high energy consumption of air conditioning (AC) system in data centers (DCs), natural cold energy becomes the focus of energy saving in data center in winter and transition season. A new type of air–water heat exchanger (AWHE) for the indoor side of DCs was designed to use natural cold energy in order to reduce the power consumption of AC. The AWHE applied micro-heat pipe arrays (MHPAs) with serrated fins on its surface to enhance heat transfer. The performance of MHPA-AWHE for different inlet water temperatures, water and air flow rates was investigated, respectively. The results showed that the maximum efficiency of the heat exchanger was 81.4% by using the effectiveness number of transfer units (ε-NTU) method. When the max air flow rate was 3000 m3/h and the water inlet temperature was 5 °C, the maximum heat transfer rate was 9.29 kW. The maximum pressure drop of the air side and water side were 339.8 Pa and 8.86 kPa, respectively. The comprehensive evaluation index j/f1/2 of the MHPA-AWHE increased by 10.8% compared to the plate–fin heat exchanger with louvered fins. The energy saving characteristics of an example DCs in Beijing was analyzed, and when the air flow rate was 2500 m3/h and the number of MHPA-AWHE modules was five, the minimum payback period of the MHPA-AWHE system was 2.3 years, which was the shortest and the most economical recorded. The maximum comprehensive energy efficiency ratio (EER) of the system after the transformation was 21.8, the electric power reduced by 28.3% compared to the system before the transformation, and the control strategy was carried out. The comprehensive performance provides a reference for MHPA-AWHE application in data centers.


1967 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-217
Author(s):  
I. C. Finlay ◽  
J. Smith

Transfer functions, relating outlet temperature responses to disturbances in flow rate, are presented for a single/two-pass heat exchanger with distributed wall and fluid thermal capacitance. Good agreement is shown between the measured and predicted outlet temperature responses of both shell and tube-side fluids. The accuracy of an overall lumped model as an approximation to such a system is examined.


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 820-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihua Cai ◽  
Walfre Franco ◽  
Gregor Arimany ◽  
Mihir Sen ◽  
K. T. Yang ◽  
...  

The design of one secondary loop of a complex network often neglects the effect that its operation has on the others. The present is a study of hydrodynamic and thermal interaction between secondaries in a thermal-hydraulic network as the system goes from one steady state to another. Experimental results are related to those derived from a mathematical model. The network consists of a primary and three secondary loops. There is a water-to-water heat exchanger on each secondary, with the cooling coming from the primary and the heating from a separate loop. A step change is introduced by manually actuating a valve in one of the secondaries, resulting in changes in the other loops also. The response time of the temperature is found to be an order of magnitude higher than that of the flow rate, which is again an order of magnitude higher than the pressure difference. The steady-state results show that there is significant interaction, and that it is dependent on the initial operating condition. The hydrodynamic and thermal responses are found to be very different.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1089
Author(s):  
Xuhui Lai ◽  
Caihua Wang ◽  
Dongjian Peng ◽  
Huanqing Yang ◽  
Zhengying Wei

In response to the heat load requirements of the high-thrust liquid rocket engine, a light-weight lattice structure is used to fill traditional a heat exchanger. A parameterized model library of the lattice structure is established, and the relative density of the lattice structure is adjusted by changing the unit cell structure parameters to obtain different filling structures. A comprehensive comparison of heat exchangers with different filling structures performed in terms of weight, heat transfer efficiency, and turbulence intensity. Using the finite difference method, the numerical calculation of the non-steady heat–fluid–solid coupling conjugate heat transfer of the eight-lattice structure is performed, and the dynamic heat transfer process between the lattice structure and liquid oxygen is simulated using the VOF model and the SST k-ω model. The results show that the pressure of the fluid in the heat exchanger increases with increasing relative density, leading to a high outlet temperature and greatly increasing the outlet velocity. The support trusses close to the wall obviously hinder the flow of liquid oxygen, resulting in a sudden change in the flow rate behind the support trusses, driving the high-temperature fluid at the bottom to move upwards. The direction of the support trusses and the unit cell porosity have a greater impact on the liquid oxygen flow rate, which in turn affects the flow and heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger. In consideration of the heat load requirements of the heat exchanger, star-type lattices are used to fill the heat exchanger. When the flow is fully developed, the volume ratio of the heated fluid is 85.60%, and the outlet temperature is 390 K, which meets the design requirements.


Author(s):  
Fatemeh Tavakkoli ◽  
Siavash Ebrahimi ◽  
Xiaogang Sun ◽  
Yan Cui ◽  
Ali Heydari

With the rapid growth of data centers worldwide and the global shift towards energy sustainability, deploying new cooling technologies has an utmost importance. Conventional cooling systems such as chilled water system, usually have high capital costs and relatively low energy efficiency, leading to a high PUE and TCO values. Indirect evaporative cooling is a promising technology, which offers air cooling with high efficiency, hygiene air quality, and lower total cost. This paper details the design of a proof-of-concept data center with indirect evaporative cooling, which will be eventually deployed at megawatt-scale Baidu datacenters. BIN data analysis and CFD simulation are performed to optimize the physical design and operating conditions. CFD analysis of the data center room is established to optimize rack placement, air flow management, and cold aisle hot aisle configuration. A comprehensive TCO analysis is established, which shows a total savings of 9% using IDEC technology compared to chilled water system for cooling. In addition, TCO analysis indicates small to negligible effect of air supply temperature. Hence, air supply to the cold aisle is set to 27 °C to improve cooling performance. Finally, ROI sensitivity analysis is performed to measure the sensitivity of ROI on power usage effectiveness of the IDEC unit.


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